Bell uses his new-found voice on race relations, social justice
Josh Bell sprinted up and down the stairs of his 10-story apartment complex in the Strip District, weights strapped to his ankles and a heavy vest around his upperbody. At other times, Bell did kettle bell workouts — whatever he could to stay in shape.
The Pirates first baseman with the powerful swing also has continued to work on his throwing and fielding with the hope of proving to critics that he is more than a designated hitter waiting to happen.
All that pales, however, in comparison to Bell’s most important work during what was essentially a second offseason.
The 27-year-old is, for all intents and purposes, the face of the
franchise, and, over these past few months, has taken some important steps in delivering a message that the country needs to hear right now, that of improving race relations and eradicating social injustice.
Speaking out has come relatively natural, Bell said, the result of how the biggerpicture conversation has changed; thankfully, it’s not the way it was when Colin Kaepernick first started advocating to end systemic racism and policy brutality involving Black Americans.
“First and foremost, I grew up as a Black kid in America and secondly as a baseball player,” Bell said. “I can talk on the Black experience. I can talk about the baseball side. I feel like social justice is something that a lot of people are learning right now.
“For the most part, I’m trying to stay as politically correct as I can. I’m not trying to bring emotions into anything. I’m not trying to be the guy who has the headline for something negative. I’m doing my best to try to learn.”
Bell spent a Zoom call Saturday after Day 2 of Pirates summer camp at PNC Park talking about a variety of things, including his workouts and on-field improvements, but the social justice talk stood out, especially since Bell handled it so well.
The 2019 All-Star began to realize the magnitude of his platform in late May and early June, when he watched peaceful protests devolve into riots and Bell’s girlfriend challenged him to channel his anger into something more meaningful.
That led to Bell, along with Chris Archer and other major leaguers, leading the #SocialJusticeSunday movement on Twitter. Bell also been working with the Pirates about getting out more in the community, targeting schools and other youth academies who might benefit from Bell’s involvement.
Whether it’s RBI Academy locally or a book club he’s starting, Bell said the Pirates support has been huge toward him finding his voice.
“That has allowed an opportunity for the pain that I felt watching that [George Floyd] video, that feeling where I felt like a lot of voices weren’t being heard … the Pirates came to me and said, ‘You want to go out in the community and help? We’re right behind you.’ That has made me feel a lot better.
“I’ve got a smile on my face coming to the field every day, knowing when the time is right I can get back into the community and do what I can to promote good in this world. I’m excited about that.”
The book club is an especially interesting one. Bell said it’s not all about social reform but more about reading together “so everybody can be on the same page in regards to not only understanding what social justice looks like, but understanding what being a good human being looks like.”
Among the books Bell has recommended: “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness,” by Michelle Alexander; “The Optimist Creed,” by Christian D. Larson; and “The Alchemist,” by Paulo Coelho.
“It’s not one side against the other or being right or wrong,” Bell said. “We’re all in this thing together. We’re all here. It’s July 4. We’re all celebrating. This is the best nation in the world, and we have an opportunity to be even better. That’s exciting.”
Baseball talk
Bell said his revamped throwing motion has continued to improve. He also has dropped his arm slot even lower, from around threequarters to sidearm or even a little below that.
“My catch and funnel and release for the throw is a lot quicker, a lot more repeatable,” Bell said.
Throwing issues plagued Bell last season. So did other aspects of playing first base, although it wasn’t due to lack of effort. Bell continues to chip away at the position and said he is not yet OK with shelving the idea of playing the field.
“I’m working my tail off every day,” Bell said. “I have gotten some feedback from teammates, and I’ve got some feedback from coaches saying that I’m on the right path.”